The decision was made at the franchise board meeting on Wednesday.
The move was on expected lines after the 31-year-old from Karnataka failed to take the team to the IPL play-offs earlier this year.
Agarwal was named captain for the 2022 edition after KL Rahul decided to move to Lucknow Super Giants. Apart from the team’s inconsistent running, Agarwal’s form also dropped as he completed 196 runs at an average of 16.33.
Gabbar will be at 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗸𝗵𝗮𝗿 for Punjab Kings! 🗻#SherSquad, welcome your 🆕 Skipper, Jatt ji! ♥️🤩#ShikharDhawan… https://t.co/3lne1HA4Qf
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) 1667404832000
The franchise had also considered making Dhawan the skipper last year, but decided to go ahead with Agarwal.
“The board decided to make Dhawan the captain. He has all the experience, both as a player and captain in the IPL and has also done well for the team in his first season l last year,” an IPL source told PTI.
Punjab had paid Rs 8.25 crore for Dhawan’s services at the mega auction earlier this year. The 36-year-old southpaw repaid faith by scoring 460 points in 14 games with an average of 38.33 and a strike rate of 122.66.
The franchise is keen to retain Agarwal despite transferring management duties to Dhawan. A decision on this will be made as soon as the player retention deadline is set for November 15.
Although Dhawan has been a consistent performer in the IPL, he only plays in the 50 plus format for India. Lately, he captained India’s second ODI team and will lead the team in New Zealand later this month. In the IPL, he has leadership experience with Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Punjab will also have a new head coach in Trevor Bayliss, who guided England to the 2019 ODI World Cup title and KKR to two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014. Bayliss will be assisted by fellow Australian Brad Haddin.
Expectations of team owners are high from the new coach and captain as the franchise seeks its first title. Punjab’s only final appearance was in 2014. They finished sixth in the previous four seasons.
